Engineering Manager, Reference Anything
Asana · New York, NY
- On site
- Full-time
- $336,000 / year
- New York, NY
Job highlights
- Lead a new Reference Anything team at Asana.
- Enhance Asana's data capabilities with Records product.
- Build high-performing culture and define product strategy.
- Manage 6-8 talented engineers and develop their skills.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to execute product roadmap.
About the role
About the Role
We are looking for an empathetic, product-focused Engineering Manager to lead our newly formed Reference Anything (RA) team. Reference Anything is tasked with a critical mission: fundamentally enhancing Asana’s data capabilities by building Records, our vision for a Databases product. While Asana excels at tracking tasks, our users increasingly need to manage structured data—like assets, candidates, or inventory—within the context of their work. You will lead this team in evolving the Work Graph to support these complex data relationships, allowing users to build a true "source of truth" for any business process. As the founding manager for this team, you will have the unique opportunity to build a high-performing culture from the ground up, define the strategy for a nascent product area, and execute a high-impact roadmap that transforms how teams organize information at scale.
About Asana
At Asana, we’re building collaboration and communication software to help every team in the world work together effortlessly and do great things together. Asana aims to rival the best enterprise software, with a deep bench of functionality and controls powerful enough to meet the needs of the world’s largest companies, along with rock-solid stability, security, and compliance. Our product engineering team works closely with designers and PMs to continuously improve the Asana experience for all our customers. We’re involved in the entire product process, from conception (be it at a hackathon or during Roadmap Week) to post-launch reflection. And we have deep empathy for both our coworkers and our users, to understand how we can work better together to help others work better together.
Location and Work Arrangement
This role is based in our New York City office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. Along with most Asanas, you’ll work from this office in person on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Most Asanas have the option to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you're interviewing for this role, your Talent Acquisition Partner will share more about the in-office requirements.
What you’ll achieve
- Manage a team of 6-8 talented engineers
- Develop team rituals that lead to great outcomes & an inclusive culture for all team members
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners in product, design, user research and data science on both large new features and daily, small product enhancements
- Guide the articulation and execution of the team’s future roadmap and ensure the team’s work ties back into high-level business goals
- Coach engineers in their technical and professional development
- Work and learn alongside great peer managers with a strong sense of team
About you
- 5+ years of relevant experience, with 3+ years experience managing a technical team
- Demonstrated ability to grow engineers of various levels, including senior and staff level engineers
- Enthusiasm for building delightful products and willing to role-blend to achieve better outcomes
- Equipped with the intelligence, empathy, integrity, and technical chops required to quickly earn the trust of a technically astute team
- Biased towards action, with an emphasis on shipping early and often.
- Comfortable with ambiguity; you enjoy figuring out what needs to be done—and then doing it
- Demonstrates curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies, with a willingness to learn and leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, or decision-making
What We’ll Offer
Our comprehensive compensation package plays a big part in how we recognize you for the impact you have on our path to achieving our mission. We believe that compensation should be reflective of the value you create relative to the market value of your role. To ensure pay is fair and not impacted by biases, we're committed to looking at market value which is why we check ourselves and conduct a yearly pay equity audit.
For this role, the estimated base salary range is between $264,000 - $336,000 USD. The actual base salary will vary based on various factors, including market and individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process. The listed range above is a guideline, and the base salary range for this role may be modified.
In addition to base salary, your compensation package may include additional components such as equity, sales incentive pay (for most sales roles), and benefits. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.
We strive to provide equitable and competitive benefits packages that support our employees worldwide and include:
- Mental health, wellness & fitness benefits
- Career coaching & support
- Inclusive family building benefits
- Long-term savings or retirement plans
- In-office culinary options to cater to your dietary preferences
These are just some of the benefits we offer, and benefits may vary based on role, country, and local regulations. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.
About Us
Asana is a leading platform for human + AI collaboration. Millions of teams around the world rely on Asana to achieve their most important goals, faster. Asana has been named to Fortune's Best Workplaces for 7+ years and recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and Gartner for excellence in workplace culture and innovation. We offer an exceptional office-centric culture while adopting the best elements of hybrid models to ensure that every one of our global team members can work together effortlessly. With 13+ offices all over the world, we are always looking for individuals who care about building technology that drives positive change in the world and a culture where everyone feels that they belong.
Join Asana’s Talent Network to stay up to date on job opportunities and life at Asana.
Key skills/competency
- Engineering Management
- Team Leadership
- Product Strategy
- Roadmap Execution
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Software Development Lifecycle
- Engineer Development
- Technical Acumen
- AI Tools and Emerging Technologies
- Agile Methodologies
Skills & topics
- Engineering Manager
- Team Lead
- Software Development
- Product Management
- Data Engineering
- Databases
- Work Graph
- Asana
- New York City
- Hybrid
- AI
- Management
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of experience, including 3+ years in technical management, and your ability to grow engineers.
- Showcase your impact: Emphasize your experience building products, managing teams, and driving roadmaps, particularly in ambiguous environments.
- Demonstrate leadership: Prepare examples of fostering inclusive team cultures, cross-functional collaboration, and coaching engineers for growth.
- Research Asana: Understand their mission, values, and focus on human + AI collaboration to align your application and interview responses.
- Prepare for hybrid work: Be ready to discuss your experience and comfort level with an office-centric hybrid schedule in New York City.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Reference Anything team's mission at Asana?
- The Reference Anything team's mission is to fundamentally enhance Asana's data capabilities by building Records, a vision for a Databases product. This will allow users to manage structured data within their work and build a true 'source of truth' for any business process.
- What are the key responsibilities of an Engineering Manager at Asana for this role?
- Key responsibilities include managing a team of 6-8 engineers, developing team rituals for great outcomes and an inclusive culture, collaborating with cross-functional partners, guiding roadmap articulation and execution, and coaching engineers in their technical and professional development.
- What qualifications are essential for the Engineering Manager position at Asana?
- Essential qualifications include 5+ years of relevant experience, with 3+ years managing a technical team. Demonstrated ability to grow engineers, enthusiasm for building products, intelligence, empathy, integrity, technical chops, bias towards action, comfort with ambiguity, and curiosity about AI tools are also crucial.
- How does Asana approach compensation for Engineering Managers?
- Asana offers a comprehensive compensation package including base salary, potential equity, and benefits. The estimated base salary range for this role is $264,000 - $336,000 USD. They conduct yearly pay equity audits and consider market value and individual qualifications.
- What is the work arrangement for the Engineering Manager role at Asana?
- This role has an office-centric hybrid schedule in the New York City office. Employees are expected to work in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with the option to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- How does Asana foster a positive work environment and culture?
- Asana focuses on building collaboration and communication software, aiming for effortless teamwork. They emphasize empathy for coworkers and users, offer robust benefits including mental health and career coaching, and are recognized for workplace culture and innovation.
- What opportunities for growth are available for engineers managed by this role?
- The Engineering Manager is responsible for coaching engineers in their technical and professional development. Asana also offers career coaching and support as part of their benefits package, indicating a commitment to employee growth.
- How does Asana integrate AI into its products and operations?
- Asana is a leading platform for human + AI collaboration. The job description mentions curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies as a desirable trait, suggesting that AI integration is a strategic focus for the company and its product development.